DESIGN & PLANT A DOORYARD GARDEN

Learn how to design and plant a Colonial dooryard garden with floral designer Sonny Gada at the Caleb Nickerson Homestead. In Colonial days the dooryard garden was designed to supplement the larger vegetable gardens planted farther away from the house. Fragrant herbs were often planted near the doorway to greet visitors to the home. Decorative plants can also be integrated into a dooryard garden. Sonny’s dooryard garden will emphasize herbs such as rosemary, thyme, lavender, parsley and sage. Herbs were used for both medicinal purposes and to flavor cooking. Yarrow was used as a dye.

Sonny, who lives in Chatham, has been a floral designer and horticulturist for over 46 years. His floral arrangements have been featured in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts annual event “Art in Bloom.” A teacher and lecturer, Sonny brings a unique approach to floral arranging, approaching it as an art, and using all of nature as his palette.

Herbs will be available for sale, and the circa 1829 Caleb Nickerson Homestead will be open for tours.

The event is a part of the Caleb Nickerson Homestead’s Hands-On-History program. The homestead is located at 1107 Orleans Road, North Chatham. Admission is $5 at the door; NFA members are free. For more information, contact Debra at DebraNFA@outlook.com.